Golf Club Surveillance

[Steve Strasheim]

How many private clubs have extensive surveillance cameras for daily film review of operations?

Do these clubs have a responsibility to inform their members that they are being filmed?

Thanks in advance for any insight.

[Dan Herrmann]

I've never heard of that.

[David_Tepper]

I know of a club in the San Francisco that has video surveillance in its parking lots. There are signs posted in the parking lots advising that.   

[Duncan Cheslett]

The UK is the world centre of video surveillance. Golf clubs here are also particularly paranoid about security. I'd be surprised if any club didn't  have cameras covering the car park and gates. Our system also covers the clubhouse bars.

Is there any concern about civil liberties? Not that you'd notice...

[Jim_Kennedy]

Steve,
Every time you're in a cart w/GPS you're under 'surveillance', and there are a good number of companies w/all kinds of video offerings for golf course operators/clubs. 

[PCCraig]

I'm guessing that video surveillance is fairly common among most clubs these days, at least in the parking lot/entrance ways. Considering how inexpensive and unnoticeable the systems are these days I can understand why they're installed. I doubt someone pours over tapes daily however unless something happened to warrant a viewing.

I know of clubs that have 24 hour security, with a guard driving patrolling the club at all hours of the night. Probably pays dividends as it would deter people from going out onto the course at night, underage drinking, damages, theft, etc.

[Dan King]

I was guessing this thread had something to do with Duck Dynasty and the episode where Will and Jase go golfing and Jase comes back that night to catch the frogs in the pond but is caught by security.

Cheers,
Dan King

Jase and I are the the most competitive guys ever. If you can race it, run it, try to win it, try to eat it, we are going to be competing.
 --Willie Robertson

[Bill Gayne]

We don't have parking lot surveillance but I wish we did.

Duck Dynasty quote "The more make-up a women wears the more she's tryin to hide. Make-up can hide a lot of evil."

The scene where they hit balls with wedges and bang-em like clays is hilarious.

[Alex Lagowitz]

A gimpy club near me has surveillance and it filmed a few robberies (clubs not cars).
In that case, it's worth it.

My club also has one camera on the bag drop, but i've never heard of anything happening there.

[Wayne_Kozun]

How many private clubs have extensive surveillance cameras for daily film review of operations?

Do these clubs have a responsibility to inform their members that they are being filmed?

Thanks in advance for any insight.

How do you define "film review of operations" and what legal jurisdiction are you talking about since GCA has posters from many countries/states/provinces.

[Mark Steffey]

a private club down the road from my house just put a camera on the 1st tee to deter people from bringing guest that don't pay... and from members with lower dues and restricted times going out early.

[Mike_Trenham]

My club has them.  Apparently lots of stuff was going missing before the cameras got installed.

[Steve Strasheim]

Interesting replies, thanks.

I stumbled upon this at a club because of a minor billing dispute. The club's accounting office called and left a message that they had verified their charges by checking the video of a cart leaving the bag drop area with me and another player. They apparently failed to check the weather that day as we were rained out before finishing. It was a minor billing issue, but it has made me aware of this surveillance practice for the first time.

We went out to the club for dinner tonight and we noticed a camera at the bar spying on us. I flipped it off and we relocated to the card room. Cameras are all over the club, even have one setup on the ceiling of the mens lockeroom.

[Steve Strasheim]

How many private clubs have extensive surveillance cameras for daily film review of operations?

Do these clubs have a responsibility to inform their members that they are being filmed?

Thanks in advance for any insight.

How do you define "film review of operations" and what legal jurisdiction are you talking about since GCA has posters from many countries/states/provinces.

Wayne,

Not trying to define anything, but the club is using video to verify pro shop charges to members in the case at hand. It is a USA club.

[Wayne_Kozun]

Different legal jurisdictions can have very different views around this.  As someone mentioned the UK has cameras everywhere.  Here in Toronto we have a fully electronic toll road - there are no toll booths you either have a transponder or a camera takes a pic of your car and OCRs the license plate number.  Apparently this isn't done in much of the US since it would be considered an invasion of privacy.

The locker room cameras are very understrandable as theft from lockers is quite commond at clubs of all sorts.  I can't remember this at my golf club but it happens at my health club on a regular basis.

[PCCraig]

We went out to the club for dinner tonight and we noticed a camera at the bar spying on us. I flipped it off and we relocated to the card room. Cameras are all over the club, even have one setup on the ceiling of the mens lockeroom.

The locker room? Isn't that kind of like putting cameras in a bathroom? The poor guy that has to review that tape... 

[Matt_Cohn]

I know of a club in the San Francisco that has video surveillance in its parking lots. There are signs posted in the parking lots advising that.   

Which? I've never heard of this? Is it Olympic because I don't think SFGC or LMGC have multiple "lots"? 

[Tim Johnson]

told this story on another thread so I will keep it short. Golf tourny at a local public, about 100 guys or so, dinner follows, plenty of drinks. Around midnight, some jackass is walking out of the club and reaches over and grabs a driver.

Organizer sends an email to the whole group, one week to return club and no questions asked. Week goes by and nobody comes clean, then the security video goes up on Youtube stating who was the owner of the missing club and they wanted names.

It was priceless to see the guys name  listed post after post by anonymous users. Must have been listed 15 times in machine gun like fashion.

The guy who owned the driver was a member of a well known "bike" club. Can you imagine the thiefs shorts when he saw the youtube vid and saw who owned the club.

Life lesson- never touch another man`s club.